Electronic Stability Control now standard on full-size SUVs

StabiliTrak electronic stability control enhances vehicle safety and increases driver confidence and enjoyment. The system helps prevent collisions when avoiding unexpected obstacles or changes in road conditions. Several international independent studies have credited such systems in reducing single-vehicle crashes, including roll-overs.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States both indicated that the widespread application of electronic stability control could result in a significant safety benefit.

"General Motors began installing StabiliTrak in its vehicles as early as 1998, and it is now equipped on more than two million GM vehicles," commented Samer El Khalil, Marketing Manager - Chevrolet SUVs and GMC. "We have rarely seen a technology that brings such a positive safety benefit to the driving public."

StabiliTrak uses a series of vehicle sensors that monitor various inputs, including wheel speed, steering wheel angle, lateral acceleration (sideways forces) and yaw (rotational movement) rate. If the system determines that the vehicle is not following the path being steered by the driver, it applies brake pressure to one or more wheels in order to gain traction and guide the vehicle back on course.

Though StabiliTrak's benefits are most apparent on slippery roads and during sudden maneuvers, it also helps on dry pavement. StabiliTrak typically intervenes in two primary driving situations: understeer and oversteer. If the vehicle begins to 'snowplough' or 'understeer', StabiliTrak applies the inside rear brake to help turn the vehicle. If the vehicle begins to 'fishtail', or 'oversteer', StabiliTrak applies the outside front brake to straighten the vehicle.

"One of the key benefits of StabiliTrak is that it helps automatically - there is no driver action required to activate the system" added El-Khalil.